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Klamath IDEA (Inspire Development – Energize Acceleration)

Project team members at the June 25, 2014 Declaration of Cooperation signing ceremony

Entering Klamath Falls

Klamath IDEA project team meeting, February 2014

The concept behind Klamath IDEA was to bring education, economic development, private business, financial institutions, municipal, county, and state governments together with entrepreneurs, innovators, and successful businesses to accelerate job creation and promote marketable commodities to expand the local and state economy.

Project identification and recruitment efforts included forums and presentations to the community (including students), outreach to other start-up and accelerator programs to identify clients, and the creation of an innovation fair to showcase ideas from around the region.

Solution

The Klamath IDEA (Inspire Development – Energize Acceleration) Board developed criteria for program participation that can be applied across disciplines to identify potentially successful projects and is currently sustainable through equity participation in supported projects, reinvestment of monies earned through program services, and ongoing fundraising activities to capitalize expansion.

The Klamath IDEA (now through the Klamath Chamber of Commerce) provides support to entrepreneurs for start-up, business expansion, product development and commercialization—with the long term goal of sustainable job creation in Klamath County. This project continues to supports the entrepreneurial spirit, particularly when it leads to new jobs and enriches the community and its economy. The IDEA is the start point for a venture to row, mature, and ultimately move on to become a successful member of the greater business community. Klamath IDEA brings education, economic development, private business, financial institutions, municipal, county, and state governments together with entrepreneurs, innovators, and successful businesses to accelerate job creation and promote marketable commodities to expand the local and state economy.

The KlamathIDEA Center for Entrepreneurship officially opened April 2017.

For more information on the IDEA, contact the IDEA Coordinator at (541) 887-8332 or via email.

Partners

Public
City of Klamath Falls, Klamath Community College
The Klamath Community College Small Business Development
The Klamath County Chamber of Commerce
Klamath County
Klamath County Commissioner Elect Kelley Minty Morris
Oregon Employment Department
The Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech)
Oregon State Senator Doug Whitsett & State Representative Gail Whitsett
Oregon State University Klamath Basin Research/Extension Center
The South Central Oregon Economic Development District (SCOEDD)
South Central Regional Solutions Center